Tuesday's letters: Clearly immoral

Published: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 26, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

To the editor: One of the egregious laws recently passed by the N.C. Legislature requires a government-issued photo ID to vote. This would have personally affected my elderly mother, now deceased, who had moved here from out of state, did not drive, had no photo ID and had misplaced the copy of her birth certificate. This would have required paying for a new certificate from her birth state, then, at the age of 92, having to wait at the driver’s license bureau for who knows how long for the photo ID.

How many other new N.C. residents will endure this impediment? What about minorities who work full time or have no convenient transportation? What about college students who cannot use their school ID?

What about young people who will turn 18 on voting day, who now cannot register and vote the same day? I thought it was the law of the land that 18-year-olds have the right to vote.

Since there is no proven data that voter fraud is widespread, it is clear that these impediments are directed at those in our population who would more likely vote Democratic. You can call it petty, partisan politics. I call it immoral and clearly undemocratic.

Lynn Kitts

Hendersonville

Proven leader?

To the editor: Whatever happened to the days when we elected a president based on his leadership experience and accomplishments? Currently, cultural uniqueness has evolved as a primary election campaign factor, and many in today’s media are already in the process of anointing Hillary Clinton for 2016 — the first female president! What are her lifetime accomplishments?

Take a few minutes to Google “Rose Law Firm/Whitewater,” “Travelgate,” “Filegate,” “Hillarycare,” “Cattle Futures” and “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.” As a New York senator, she accomplished little of significance. As secretary of state, she can list on her resume the “Arab Spring” (think Benghazi, Syria, Egypt and Palestine), a failed Russian “reset,” an emerging and aggressive China, an ongoing Iranian nuclear weapons program, deteriorating relations with our European allies and support of a fascist coup in Honduras.

This is a proven leader we want for our future? But then, in her own words, “What difference does it make?”

Barry Coombs

Saluda

Propaganda

To the editor: North Carolina used to be part of the “Solid South” — solid Democrat.

Shortly after I moved here, I met a young couple who told me their experience when they came of age and registered to vote. The registrar asked, “Do you want to register Democrat or Republican?” (Really!?) They said, “Republican.” Registrar, “Oh, that takes a special form. We don’t have those forms here. You’ll have to go to Raleigh.”

Now, that’s how you place an impediment to voting. That’s how you disenfranchise voters. No doubt local Democrats of that era are still active today.

Propaganda works. Who remembers now that it was Democrats who enforced Jim Crow laws and suppressed black votes? It was Democrats standing in the schoolhouse doors. Orville Faubus was a Democrat. Bull Connor was a Democrat. It was Democrats taunting and threatening those little girls going to school, their faces contorted in hatred.

They’ll say, oh, those were just Southern Democrats. But Northern Democrats were perfectly happy bedfellows for 100 years, turning a blind eye to Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan for the sake of power while suppressing votes up North. And for the sake of power, they still want no impediments to stealing elections.

<p>To the editor: One of the egregious laws recently passed by the N.C. Legislature requires a government-issued photo ID to vote. This would have personally affected my elderly mother, now deceased, who had moved here from out of state, did not drive, had no photo ID and had misplaced the copy of her birth certificate. This would have required paying for a new certificate from her birth state, then, at the age of 92, having to wait at the driver’s license bureau for who knows how long for the photo ID.</p><p>How many other new N.C. residents will endure this impediment? What about minorities who work full time or have no convenient transportation? What about college students who cannot use their school ID?</p><p>What about young people who will turn 18 on voting day, who now cannot register and vote the same day? I thought it was the law of the land that 18-year-olds have the right to vote.</p><p>Since there is no proven data that voter fraud is widespread, it is clear that these impediments are directed at those in our population who would more likely vote Democratic. You can call it petty, partisan politics. I call it immoral and clearly undemocratic.</p><p><em>Lynn Kitts</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Proven leader?</h3>
<p>To the editor: Whatever happened to the days when we elected a president based on his leadership experience and accomplishments? Currently, cultural uniqueness has evolved as a primary election campaign factor, and many in today’s media are already in the process of anointing Hillary Clinton for 2016  the first female president! What are her lifetime accomplishments?</p><p>Take a few minutes to Google Rose Law Firm/Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, Hillarycare, Cattle Futures and Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. As a New York senator, she accomplished little of significance. As secretary of state, she can list on her resume the Arab Spring (think Benghazi, Syria, Egypt and Palestine), a failed Russian reset, an emerging and aggressive China, an ongoing Iranian nuclear weapons program, deteriorating relations with our European allies and support of a fascist coup in Honduras.</p><p>This is a proven leader we want for our future? But then, in her own words, What difference does it make?</p><p><em>Barry Coombs</em></p><p><em>Saluda</em></p><h3>Propaganda</h3>
<p>To the editor: North Carolina used to be part of the Solid South  solid Democrat.</p><p>Shortly after I moved here, I met a young couple who told me their experience when they came of age and registered to vote. The registrar asked, Do you want to register Democrat or Republican? (Really!?) They said, Republican. Registrar, Oh, that takes a special form. We don’t have those forms here. You’ll have to go to Raleigh.</p><p>Now, that’s how you place an impediment to voting. That’s how you disenfranchise voters. No doubt local Democrats of that era are still active today.</p><p>Propaganda works. Who remembers now that it was Democrats who enforced Jim Crow laws and suppressed black votes? It was Democrats standing in the schoolhouse doors. Orville Faubus was a Democrat. Bull Connor was a Democrat. It was Democrats taunting and threatening those little girls going to school, their faces contorted in hatred.</p><p>They’ll say, oh, those were just Southern Democrats. But Northern Democrats were perfectly happy bedfellows for 100 years, turning a blind eye to Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan for the sake of power while suppressing votes up North. And for the sake of power, they still want no impediments to stealing elections.</p><p><em>Boyd Peyton</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>